Innocence Gone
by Sunshinegirl010
Summary: "Come on Elena. Let's be realistic. You can't even bring yourself to touch your stomach, when there are layers of skin in between you and that fetus. How are you going to hold it, nurse it, care for it?" She looks at him sadly, "I don't know Damon, but I'm sure as hell going to try." When Stefans gone and Elena's pregnant Damon's left to pick up the pieces. Trust me! Pre-vamp Elena
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! So this is my first TVD fanfic but I'm feeling up to the challenge, although I am quite nervous. Don't ask me why I want Elena pregnant, I just do and hopefully you won't find this strange, I just thought it would be a neat way to approach the perfection that is Delena. Anyway, that's all she wrote and all I'm saying on the subject, please read and review there is more where this came from if you guys like it! :)**

"Elena's pregnant." Damon whipped his head around to his tall friend, snorting a laugh at the joke he was trying to pull. Although he didn't find it very funny.

"Ha ha. I'm cackling in amusement, now tell me the real reason you're standing in my living room looking like you've seen a ghost." Damon teased, wanting to know the true reason behind his visit to the boarding house. He smirked, trying to imagine what would have him in such a tizzy that he would joke about Elena being _pregnant._ He practically shuddered at the thought. As if they didn't have enough to deal with already. An extra emotional Elena was not on his top list of things he wanted to experience.

"Why would I joke about this Damon? She's pregnant. I don't know how the hell how, but she is. She told me today." The smirk quickly fell from his face as he took in the seriousness in Alaric's expression.

"You can't be serious. Vampires can't procreate." Ric sat down on the couch, rubbing his palm over his face, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well obviously one of Stefan's little swimmers got through. I don't know Damon; I can't explain it, and all I know is that when I got home today I found Elena upstairs in her bathroom, a crying mess. At first, I just thought it was something about Stefan, and him being gone. It took me about twenty minutes just to get out of her what was wrong."

Damon shook his head, before sitting down next to Ric on the couch. "Elena's pregnant? " Ric nodded solemnly, not sure what words would to say in that moment. He wasn't sure he would ever find the words to fully talk about this situation. He felt like a failure. With all the supernatural entity's closing in around them, who had time to worry about normal teenage problems such as pregnancy?

Damon stood up from the couch once again, not being able to sit still. He wondered if this instantaneous twisting in his stomach would ever go away. What did they know about a vampire baby? Absolutely nothing. As far as he knew, there never had been one. Maybe it had something to do with her being a doppelganger. Hell that threw everyone for a damn loop in itself.

"Where is she?" Asked Damon, looking at Ric, trying to find something steady to keep him standing on his feet, although he felt the ground falling from underneath him, he could only imagine how Elena felt.

"She's at home in her room. At least that's where I left her."Damon flinched that Ric would be careless enough to leave her unattended, especially in such a fragile state. Without a word, Damon grabbed his black leather jacket off the couch and headed for the front door, not bothering telling Ric where he was going. And he didn't have to. He already knew.

….

He finds her sitting on her window seat, looking peacefully out the window. You wouldn't know she'd been in the fit that Ric had explained to him nearly an hour before. She doesn't turn to look at him, but somehow he knows that she knows he's there, silently watching her. Waiting for her to talk to him. She breathes in deeply, and he takes note of the way she has her arms awkwardly sitting on her sides, purposely not touching her belly. He frowns.

"So, I take it that drink that Alaric left for had a hidden agenda behind it?" she turns her head to look at him, giving him a small sad smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. It's like a stake to his heart. He's never seen her look so broken.

"He has good intentions." He replies quietly. "I would have found out eventually anyway 'Lena." And he wonders why it took him so long to notice something different. Even now he can hear a faint thump that accompanies Elena's heartbeat, falling a second or two behind her own, and he can instantly tell it's her child.

She feels the beginning sting of tears in the edges of her eyes and the all too familiar lump in her throat as she tries to hold back the inevitable river of sorrow from her tear ducts. She shakes her head and sniffles, lifting her hand up to her cheek, wiping away the stray salty drop of water from her face.

"I know. I just didn't want anybody to find out. I didn't mean to tell Ric today…I just…sort of broke down. It's a great deal to carry around." He sits down on her bed casually, grabbing her teddy bear like he always does, trying to make this as normal as possible for her. _Yeah, 'cause it's everyday that you have a discussion with Elena about her unborn child._ He mentally shoots his sarcastic subconscious a glare, silencing him. "How long have you known?"

"About a month. I'll be three and half months along next week." Damon sat bewildered, not believing she'd kept it a secret that long. He'd noticed a change in her, although he'd been unable to put his finger on it. However, a pregnancy had never even crossed his mind, which was perhaps why.

"Are you going to keep it?" She gasped, looking at him with a fearful expression on her face. His face twisted up in confusion. She looked hurt. "Why would you even ask that Damon? I could never kill a living thing. I mean…God…it's probably not even bigger than my pinky at this point…" her sentence drops from the high crescendo it began in and lowered down to a minimal whisper.

"Come on Elena. Let's be realistic. You can't even bring yourself to touch your stomach, when there are layers of skin in between you and that fetus. How are you going to hold it, nurse it, _care _for it?" She can't bring her eyes up to his cobalt stare, knowing she'll find a look of pity that her psyche can't handle right now. So she opts for staring out the window. Watching the small children play hopscotch innocently on the sidewalk. She finds herself envying them of their narrow view of the world, wising vehemently, that she could return to that.

"I don't know Damon." She says shrugging her shoulders. Somehow finding the power to meet his penetrating stare from across the room. The distance, however, does nothing to suppress its intensity. "But I'm sure as hell going to try."

…..

They research day and night, but do not tell Elena for fear of upsetting her. This is new territory; they don't know how to deal with this. Sure, making master plans for saving her ass they were used to, they'd done that a million plus times. But this…it felt more fragile. This was Elena's _child. _Damon and Ric knew better than to believe that her nurturing nature would disappear overnight, and they didn't want her finding out ways that she could sacrifice herself to save something that in the end might kill them all. They really truly knew nothing.

After a week of rifling through Edward and Bella Cullen's shit information, they began to find things that they believed were useful, stocked away in the Isobel's old research before she went vamp. So far they found nothing, only supposed women in folklore that drank the blood of fetuses or new born babies. But never any vampire babies, literally born. Needless to say, their attempts were futile, and since they didn't see anything out of the normal happening, they decided they would try and fly by the handle with all of this. They had Meredith acting as Elena's OBGYN, since she already knew of vampires, and wouldn't want to run any crazy tests that weren't necessary and wouldn't need compelling.

It didn't take long for the news of Elena's pregnancy to travel quickly among their small group of misfits. Caroline had been completely understanding and waited on Elena hand and foot constantly, never letting her put herself or the baby in stressful situations. She absolutely dotted on her and the fact that there would be a small bundle of joy to take care of. But where Caroline was overly excited, Bonnie was overly judgey as always.

She never told Elena her thoughts on having a vampire child, but she yelled at Damon enough for it, somehow finding a way to make something completely on Stefan's shoulders _his _fault. And it pissed him off to no end. _How could you let her go through with this? What if it kills her? You've always been known to make her make the tough decisions, why are you suddenly giving her free will back now? _

Honestly, when asked those questions he never was able to give her an answer that would more than likely suffice. He watched her now, sitting on the couch her pregnancy bible, as she'd come to call it, resting on her slightly swollen abdomen and he knew why. She looked happy. It seemed that finally, Elena Gilbert seemed at peace with a situation that had been thrown her way…and he just couldn't take that from her.

"Damon?" her voice pulls him from his thoughts and he's quickly by her side in no less than a second, prepared to be at her beck and call. "Yes Elena."

She looks up shyly from her book, seemingly hesitant to ask him something. Biting her lip, she finally replies, "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and Caroline can't go, I was wondering if you would accompany me?" He's shocked, to say the least, that Elena would involve him in something so seemingly personal, but he doesn't question it.

He gives one of those rare smiles that actually reach his eyes, which in turn makes her smile before he gives his answer, "Sure."

**Thought's, concerns, do you want to throw me under a bus? I'll never know if you don't push that little button down there and tell me how you really feel….**

**-Sunshine girl 010**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here you go! Oh! And I forgot to mention, although you probably know this by now, I'm not following this story to cannon! Sorry, it just flowed better with Alaric around…Okay, here you go, please review!**

They walk in, greeted by other soon to be mothers with waddling walks and protruding stomachs. Elena gets a few disapproving looks, mixed with some 'what a shame' head shakes since she's so young, but she seems not to notice, at least if she does, she's choosing to ignore them.

Elena walks over to the receptionist and checks in, before sitting down in the seat next to him, smiling. "Thank you for coming with me today Damon." She takes his hand, giving it a small squeeze, "I know you have other things that you'd probably rather be doing right now, but…" he waves his hand and rolls his eyes.

"It's no problem Elena." She gives him another smile, one that he gets to see so often lately, and turns back around in her seat, flipping through her magazine.

They're called back shortly, not having to wait very long at all, meeting Dr. Fell in a small room in the back of the clinic. "Sorry for the wait Elena. I had a kid with a broken arm in here this morning."

She shook her head, shrugging, there goes that smile again. "It's okay. We barely had to wait all." Meredith clears her throat, looking down at her clip board to look at Elena's charts.

"So, how is the morning sickness? Any better?" Elena nods enthusiastically. "Much better, I feel like I could eat elephant like all the time now." Meredith nods, smiling as she writes something on Elena's chart.

"That is completely normal. And no abnormal cravings right?" Way to be subtle Fell, she knows about the potential of this being a vampire, but I do suppose it would be nice to know if Elena's getting sudden cravings for blood. Elena gives her a fleeting incredulous look, before shrugging her shoulders. "No, just watermelon and ice cream and… Oh! I did kind of want pickles the other day though, and I hate pickles."

Meredith chuckles a bit, along with Damon, he likes seeing Elena so seemingly carefree in this situation. "So, any back pain or leg cramps yet?"

"Just a little back pain, sometimes when I stand up for too long it starts to feel a little uncomfortable. No leg cramps yet though." Meredith continues to write down on her chart without looking up at Elena. "That's normal, and you may experience the leg cramps and you may not, it all just depends on your body, just know that if you do its normal."

Damon had to try hard to not scoff at every _normal_ scenario that Dr. Fell thru in Elena's face. There was absolutely nothing normal about this situation. Elena was giving birth to a vampires child, something that so far, has been unheard of. God knows what will happen when Klaus finds out; he's twisted enough as is. His thoughts are brought back when he see's Dr. Fell pulling a small monitor close to the bed Elena is lying on.

"Did you bring your tape for the ultrasound?" Elena nods. "Damon it's in my purse, would you get it please?" he rummages through her purse, pulling out the DVD for Meredith to record the ultrasound on.

"So, you are far enough along this month to find out the sex of your baby. Do you want to know?" Elena gives a quiet yes, suddenly seeming awestruck by the small television in the room. She glances over at Damon who is sitting on the far side of the room, and motions for him to come stand next to her as Dr. Fell pours some jelly on her stomach. He walks over and leans in towards the monitor as she does, eagerly awaiting the picture that they are about to be graced with.

Dr. Fell starts by pointing out things on the screen, "So, here is the head and the arms and it looks like…." She leans in closer to the screen examining it, before looking at Elena and smiling, "Your baby is a girl." She grins widely as tears brim her eyes, and Damon has to admit that he's struck to. It's so weird, there's actually a baby in there. She looks up at him where he is standing over her, looking intensely at the screen. "It's really something isn't it?" he asks her with wonder that she's never heard in his voice.

"Yea, it is." He smiles down at her and looks at her stomach. Shaking his head as if he's just now realized that there's something there and it's growing slowly and steadily within her. She has to admit, it just became real for her too.

Soon Elena's ready to go with a few pamphlets on what she can expect this month and a diet to try and control her cravings around. She smiles that smile the rest of the afternoon.

….

They show everyone the tape, and although no one wants to openly admit it, they were all expecting fangs and demonic features that would at least give them all some inclination as to what they're dealing with. But for Elena, everyone tries to be excited. Because she is. He tries to think over the years he's known her, but he honestly doesn't recall a time that he's seen her this giddy about something. She is well into her second trimester now, her stomach protruding from her small frame. He wonders sometimes how she's even able to carry herself around; it looks like her stomach would make her top heavy.

The thing that throws them all is that Elena is completely normal with all of this. She doesn't bring up Stefan or his quick departure from Mystic Falls. Nor the fact that things have been quiet around here except for the buzz of her baby.

Most nights the regular gang of misfits usually just sit around, giving Elena company, not wanting to give her a chance to feel lonely. Damon looks around the room on one such night. At Caroline and Tyler who sit cuddled on the love seat, and Bonnie and Jeremy who sit on the floor, as he and Alaric sit in the kitchen drinking bourbon. Damon can't help but to laugh at the strange turn their life has taken.

His eye's fall on Elena who lies out on the couch (one of her dizzy spells caught up with her), with her hands resting on her stomach smiling with her eyes closed. Suddenly she jerks up to seated position where she's lying on the couch with the family watching TV.

Alaric shoots over to her, asking what's wrong, thinking this is when the demon growing inside of her would finally take her from us. Instead of screaming in horror, however, Elena is giggling, staring in wonderment at her belly.

She looks around to all the people surrounding her on the couch, with a light in her eyes. "She kicked." She exclaims biting her lip. She grabs Alaric's hand and puts it on her stomach, with her own hand on top. "Here, feel it?" He sits for a moment feeling uncomfortable when his eyes suddenly light up with the wonderment mirroring Elena's. "Wow, that's something." He says looking up at Elena.

Suddenly everyone wants a chance to feel the small bump that signals the babies kick. But it stops after the third time; Elena gets disappointed that no else can feel it. So even when everyone else goes back to what they were doing before, Elena just lies on the couch, rubbing her belly, trying to awaken the magic that happened a moment before.

….

That night Alaric decides to go out with Meredith, Jeremy goes out with Bonnie , and Caroline and Tyler go home, while Damon sticks around, sitting with Elena while she continues to absentmindedly rub her stomach, reading her pregnancy bible.

"Anything interesting?" he inquires before gracefully falling into the soft cushions of the couch, picking up her feet and resting them in his lap. She gives him a small, tired smile and sighs contently, shaking her head and in a serene voice answers him, "Not really, just that now the baby's as big as a pineapple and that her finger nails are getting long. I, on the other hand, can expect dry, irritated eyes."

"So, we'll just get you some eye drops," he shrugs, "no big deal." She cocks her head to the side. "What would I do without you Damon?"

He smirks and decides to joke with her, she deserves as good joke. "Beats me." She giggles and he starts to rub her feet, knowing they're more than likely killing her. Elena closes her eyes, "That feels nice."

He looks over to her, looking calm and rested, with her hands resting on her abdomen. "How are you doing with all of this?" she opens one eye to peek at him, then slowly closes it. "That's something I choose to not think about."

"What?"

"My feelings, the way I feel about bringing a child into this world." He squints his eyes at her even though she can't see him. He continues to rub her feet, applying a gentle pressure to her instep.

"What do you mean, 'Bringing a child into this world.'?" She finally opens her eyes and looks at him calmly. "I just…why would I want to have a child. There is no telling what this kid is going to have to go through. She is a Petrova, which means that eventually there will be a doppelganger, another person that will have to endure what I have. I can't help but feel like she doesn't stand a chance you know? I'm bringing her into a world of vampires, hybrids, witches, and doppelgangers and she is completely helpless. And how am I going to help her? I'm a defenseless human that shares a face with a century's old vampire." She swallows the tears that he can see threatening to spill out, "I never wanted to have kids Damon. I was going to be the one to end this."

He breathes out and moves in closer to her. Not hearing anything he didn't already assume. He takes her face into his hands, running his thumbs across her cheeks to wipe away the tears that streamed from her chocolate orbs.

"Hey," she looked up at him, "I know that you're worried Elena and that you're scared and that you wanted this to end. But the hard fact is that it's not. And by some weird twist of fate, you're pregnant. And you have every reason to worry about her well being." He said placing a gentle hand on her stomach, "but she's your _child_. Something that came from you, belongs to you. Nothing that happens can ever take that away. You will share something with her that no one else will get to experience because you are her mother. And I don't think that she will ever understand how amazing her mother is and how much you will admire her, and love her, and cherish her."

Elena smiles looking down at her stomach where Damon still caresses it and leans into his touch that still lingers on her check. "And I promise, with every fiber of my being, that I will protect you and this baby, if it even needs protecting." He joked quietly, smiling thinking about a new born baby punching an original. Elena suddenly looked up. "What do you mean if it even needs protecting? Of course it will, it's a defenseless baby."

"Yeah, a defenseless baby that's half vampire."

"Half vampire, what-"she pauses realization suddenly crossing her features. "Oh, Damon…I'm not sure…this is kind of embarrassing…um...Stefan's…he's not…Stefan's not the father." He's taken aback for a minute, not expecting that answer. They'd never taken into consideration that Elena had gotten pregnant from a human.

"Then...who?" she blushed for a moment and then composed herself enough to answer, not really meeting his gaze. "Do you remember that night that Caroline and I went out and she called you freaking out because she couldn't find me and then right as you showed up I did and you were pissed and…"

"Yes, Elena, quit trying to stall." She huffed and looked up at him.

"I just met a guy, one thing led to another and boom, three months later I found out I was pregnant." Damon pulls himself back on the couch and sits staring off into the distance, not sure what to make of this new development. Elena didn't seem the type for bar bathroom hookups, but then again Caroline always said that we never got to see _fun _Elena. She picks herself off the couch and snuggles in next to him the best she can with her protruding belly, laying her head on his shoulder. "So half vampire baby huh? What is this twilight?"

And they can't help but laugh.

**Okay! Here is your update! Yay! I did good, and update in a day! I can't promise I will always be this faithful, but I'll try! **


	3. Chapter 3

**As you can probably tell I have a majority of this story done! So I just wrote some more today of a later chapter, and decided to update! :) Anyway, I realize that these are short, I'm sorry about that, normally I write pretty long chapters, but, I just like the way these flow you know? Anyway, please continue to read and please review! **

Elena's second trimester came and went, bringing them into the home stretch. The third trimester came and with it brought an extremely exhausted Elena. Her need to pee prevented her from being able to take longer than a thirty minute car ride and heartburn kept her up at night or made her think twice about what she placed in her mouth. In other words, she was miserable, but all the time kept on a smiling face. Damon sometimes wondered how she even stood up with the large stomach that now protruded from her abdomen.

But she was a soldier, in every sense of the word, and kept up the 'I feel fine act' as well as she could manage.

"Damon! Is that you?" she asks as she hears him walk through the front door. He'd come over to drive her to her doctor's appointment today. Ever since she'd reached her third trimester, Dr. Fell had insisted that Elena come in every week to get checkups. Her tiny frame set up the perfect conditions for early labor if they weren't cautious. "Yes! Is everything okay?" she doesn't reply for a moment as if debating with herself. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine!"

He rolled his eyes and waited at the bottom of the stairs for her to come down. Or admit to him what was wrong.

"Damon?"

"Yes Elena?" she sighs, finally giving in to whatever internal battle she was having earlier.

"Could you come up here?" he smirks, quirking his eyebrow, curious to what she could possible want. He walked into her bedroom to find it vacant. "I'm in here." She called from the bathroom and as he turned the corner he was met with Elena…in a bathtub. Unfortunately for him, all the good parts were covered, she'd put on a bathing suit. She sighed and winced, embarrassed by the situation she'd put herself in.

"I can't reach my legs and I really don't want to go to the doctor with leg hair a mile long. Basically, I'm asking if you'll just shave my legs. Please?"

He squints his eyes at her, trying to decide if she's serious. "Don't you think that's going to be a little, awkward? I mean I can always call Caroline-"

"Caroline's not here and I don't have time before my doctor's appointment for Car to come over here. Just-please do this one small thing for me."He continued to look at her skeptically, not seeing this having a good end result no matter how they approached it. "Oh, come on, stop being such a baby." She yelled and held up the razor and shaving crème for him to take.

He sighed, knowing he'd never be able to resist when she threw puppy eyes his way. "So how long have you been sitting up here trying to do this?" she made a small sound with her nose as a laugh. "Only an hour. I kept trying to reach my legs but it's like I have three stomachs or something." He laughed as he applied the foam to her legs, looking at her quizzically when he reached her thigh, asking if he should do that to. "Yes." She nodded at him.

"So, how's life treating you Damon?"

"Elena." He chastised her. "What? Just trying to make a bit of friendly conversation."

"Yeah, well excuse me for thinking this will be easier if we just don't talk at all."

"Oh come on. It's just a little leg, I even put a bathing suit on, it's not like you haven't seen me in one of those." He rolled his eyes and allowed his eyes to rest on Elena's stomach. He hadn't seen it so blatantly exposed in all the time she'd been pregnant. She met his gaze over her protruding belly button, before she poked it. "Disgusting isn't it. The pregnancy bible says that it'll go back to normal around three weeks after I have the baby. But right now it's just stuck like this."

He gave her a small smile, not looking up from his work on her leg. "Well at least you only have about a month or so to go. And you have Thanksgiving coming up, isn't that like every pregnant woman's dream?" she smiled.

"Not exactly. Especially when everything you even think about eating gives you heartburn." He gave a small hum of a reply, trying to stay focused on his task so he didn't cut her.

"I know this is a little strange but, thank you. For doing this for me…" he looked up at her face when she stopped mid sentence to find her blubbering. He sighed, she was crying for no reason all the time these days. Hormones he supposed.

"I just don't know what I would do without you Damon. You do all these things for me…and…and, what do I give you in return? Empty promises and worry and…God Damon, I'm sorry, I sound like an idiot. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. For everything you put up with." she managed to choke out, giving him a small smile that just barely reached her now red and watery eyes. "Come on 'Lena, don't cry. All I'm doing is shaving your legs. And you're welcome. For the record, I don't expect you to do anything for me in return. We both know that if I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be."

She sniffed and gave a small laugh. "I know, it's kind of ridiculous what can upset me these days. Still thank you for doing this. I almost asked Ric to do it earlier." Damon laughed, not letting his eyes move from the blade removing Elena's hair. "Now that would have been a sight to see." After pausing for a moment he added, "And even more uncomfortable than this."

"Do you really think it's that weird?" she inquired. He pondered for a moment, suddenly realizing that no, it wasn't. It felt…normal. Comfortable. Familiar. Being with Elena had become almost second nature to Damon. There was rarely a time when he left her out of his sight, constantly worried he was going to miss something important.

He'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel partially responsible, because this should be his brother here with Elena. Stefan should be shaving her legs. Stefan should be taking her to the doctor. Stefan should be here period. But the plain simple fact was, he wasn't. He was gone, he'd gone rogue, and he was more than likely never coming back, at least in Elena's lifetime he wasn't. Maybe the kids, but it was doubtful.

Damon met her gaze as he finished her ankle and replied, "No. I guess it's not." She smiled softly at him. As she thought over the past few months, Elena couldn't really think of a time that she and Damon had been alone together like they were now. Sure they spent hours, days of their time together, but also with Alaric and Jeremy and everyone else that constantly seemed to inhibit the Gilbert home. She brought her hand to his face, while he calmly sighed and leaned into her touch for a moment, ignoring the fact that her hand was wet.

She suddenly felt extremely over come with gratitude, because even though there were always other people in the house, Damon was always one of them. He rarely left Elena's side, and for that she was grateful. He'd become a constant in her life, something she irrevocably depended on, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her love for him had grown to life threatening heights. He just made her feel safe again.

"Thank you." She whispered, placing so much more within those simple words than just a gratification of a job well done on her legs. She was thanking him for loving her (which she knew he did). She was thanking him for being there for her. She was thanking him for being her rock. She was thanking him, for being just what she needed, always.

He gulped, noticing the now heavy tension that had seemed to rise and grow between them with each passing second. "You're welcome." They heard someone suddenly clear their throat behind them, making them jump; ruining what otherwise would have been a perfectly good moment.

"Everything okay in here?" questioned Ric who stood in the doorway of Elena's bathroom, looking uncomfortable.

"Everything's fine Ric. Do you need anything?" he shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly wanting to say something, but restraining himself from doing so. "Nothing I guess. See you guys after your doctor's appointment Elena."

"Bye Ric." Yelled Elena to his retreating form, keeping her eyes locked on Damon.

"I'm going to let you get dressed." Said Damon as lifted up from the tub and dried his hands off with a towel. She watched him silently retreat from the bathroom before calmly saying his name. He turned around looking at her expectantly, "I love you Damon. You should know that." He watched her for a while, he's not really sure how long he stood there looking at her, as her doe eyes calmly stared back at his. Like she didn't just make a life changing profession.

He turns back to the door, disappointing her, before calmly telling her the words she'd just so care freely thrown in to the air, "I love you too Elena." He replies before closing the door carefully, wondering what the hell just happened.

…..

They don't mention the 'I love you's', but something has clearly changed between them. They're more affectionate, they don't really kiss, maybe a peck on the cheek now and then from Damon, but the air around them is different. Lighter, not so tension filled. He caresses her stomach often, talking to the baby, much to Elena's enjoyment. (It's funny to watch big bad Damon talk in a baby voice).

The change in their behavior has certainly not gone unnoticed by their friends, who are sure to constantly ask them about it, the unknown facts of their relationship becoming a major topic of discussion, whether the couple was in the room or not. Ric, in particular, was worried of the development of the two. It didn't take long after the bathroom incident for him to get the courage to ask Damon about it.

"It was nothing. Just a friend helping out another friend."

"Elena has plenty of girlfriends to shave her legs for her Damon." Damon sighs, getting frustrated with a conversation that he could see going to hell and fast. "All of which were unavailable that day. She wanted them done before she got to the doctor. She almost asked you to do it. What would you have done then? So see, you should be thanking me. Your welcome."

Alaric cut his eyes at Damon, trying to read into the strange institution that had become Damon and Elena's relationship. "Fine. Don't tell me what's really going on. Just don't do anything stupid." And they left it at that. Caroline on the other hand was insatiable.

"Come on 'Lena, just tell us what's going on. We understand. You're pregnant, your hormones are raging. It's not the end of the world for you and Damon to have something going on."

"There's nothing going on. Sure we care about each other, but nothing other than that is going on. We're still Damon and Elena, constantly at each other's throats, just, now we have a better understanding of each other. We've just gotten closer, that's all."

Caroline sighed, scowling at Elena, and finally gave up in trying to make her tell her the truth. "Just be careful Elena. Your decisions aren't just affecting you now." Elena met Caroline's gaze, and gave her a simple stare, with a small smile. Not sure what to say to her to assure that there was nothing going on between her and Damon, but when it boiled right down to it, she knew that something had changed, exactly what, she wasn't sure what, but there was a noticeable difference in their relationship.

"Okay, I'll be careful." She replied to Caroline after a moment, surprising them both with what she'd just admitted.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's another update guys! I had sometime to write today because I'm sick! Yuck, but I just sat here with my tea and my computer and Damon and Elena…we've had a good time together….anyway, enjoy! **

Thanksgiving finally came and Elena was in full on family mode. Everyone was required to attend the dinner, whether they had previous engagements or not. They were to make an appearance at sometime during the day. And since Elena had mentioned to Damon how important it was to her, he was making absolute sure to enforce her expectations of the group.

"Look, just make sure your all there. We're the only thing Elena has left in the world. We owe her this." He tells them one day when Elena was gone. They all groan, because with everything on their plates, the last thing they want to do is actually celebrate a holiday, but they agree, because it will make Elena happy, and none of them really want to cross Damon where she's concerned.

And since he knew that it would mean something to her, he calls Stefan. She mentions him from time to time in passing, where he is, if he's doing okay. She's genuinely worried, and if Damon's being honest with himself, so is he. Stefan is still his baby brother after all. She misses him and worries about him. She simply wants to know that he's okay. After calling him several times, Damon finally gets an annoyed answer.

"What do you want Damon?"

"Hello to you to brother."

"I'm busy Damon, and you won't stop calling me every five minutes. Please just tell me what you want."

"We want you to come back. Not for good, just for Thanksgiving. It would mean a lot to Elena." Stefan sighs on the other end of the line, while Damon keeps the same bored feeling he always carries when dealing with his brother's drama. "I can't come back Damon. Klaus wants me here."

Damon sighs; for once he wants him to make the right decision where Elena's involved. And she needs this; she needs closure, something only Stefan can give her.

"Well we need you here. Elena's…dealing with something."Stefan pauses, "Just for thanksgiving?" Damon gives an internal sigh of relief. "Just for thanksgiving, it will really make her happy."

"Okay, I'll be there."

….

Elena spent the whole day before and almost the whole day of preparing food, with some help from Damon. A hormonal Elena couldn't be entirely trusted with something as fragile as thanksgiving dinner. She tried for the whole traditional, normal family thanksgiving. She forced all of them to sit in the living room and watch the Macy's day parade and football as the smell of turkey and dressing wafted through the house.

Around noon, she let them snack on a few of the appetizers she'd prepared, before sending them out the door to play football in the backyard. Something she now sat watching, giggling to herself as Alaric argued with Tyler about a flag on a play.

"They are pretty entertaining." Elena looked over her shoulder at Damon who was laughing at them with her. "I know, Alaric and Jeremy are wearing their rings right, I would hate for a casualty to result from all of this." Damon laughed some more before stirring something on the stove. "Yes, everyone is protected from the wrath of an angry Caroline."

Elena smiled and turned her gaze back out the window as Caroline took Bonnie down, making all the guys watch in amazement at the ensuing girl fight. "And just why aren't you out there with them. I'm sure you could show them up. You were alive when the game was invented." She joked; he rolls his eyes, although it was entirely true. "I'm just not in the athletic mood right now. Besides, I would rather be in here with you two." He said caressing her from behind, cradling her stomach in his arms. Elena placed her own hands over her swollen stomach lovingly.

"How are you holding up? You shouldn't really be exerting yourself this much." His brow creases in worry, she was always doing more than he was sure she could handle. He didn't want her exerting herself just to prove a point, something he was sure Elena was not above doing.

Elena sighed contentedly, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm fine. Really I am. I feel perfectly normal, there's just a little extra weight to carry around is all." She goes back to scrubbing the counter tops, and Damon picks up his phone when he notices the time. Stefan should be here by now.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, making Damon's eyes light up, knowing who it was, wanting to surprise Elena. She looked at him quizzically, "Who's that?" he shrugged, saying he'd get the door, and went to let Stefan in.

They walked into the kitchen together, and Elena suddenly turned around and both Stefan and her eyes lit up in surprise. He stared at her belly; looking to Damon he shook his head, telling his brother without words that now was not the time to bring up that situation.

"Stefan!" she rushed over to him, hugging him, the best she can with her protruding belly. She caresses his face and looks at him, as if trying to grasp the fact that he's really there. "I've missed you. I've worried about you."

He gives her a tight smile and hugs her again, trying to fathom what in the hell is going on. He tries to ignore the million questions flying through his brain as he feels her stomach poke his abdomen, but tries to stay happy and indifferent. "Well I'm here now. And it looks like congratulation is in order." He says placing a hand on her belly, still with that tight lipped smile. She laughs, and says it doesn't matter. "I'm just glad you're here." She's suddenly becomes at a loss for words and just pulls him in for another hug.

Over Stefan's shoulder, she meets Damon's gaze that seems… dare she say it…jealous. She mouths a 'thank you' and he just nods in understanding, he knows.

…..

Their dinner passes by with flying colors, Elena is happy and carefree, they all laugh and joke and talk about old memories of past Thanksgivings. Damon's eyes stay glued to her the entire day, ever since Stefan showed up she'd been even more excited than normal, happy that their strange little family was complete he supposed.

It's funny how she's already like a mother to them all. She chastises Ric before he tries to eat a large fried piece of chicken, knowing full well that he'll be blubbering with heart burn within an hour. She keeps the peace between them all, making sure Damon doesn't overstep his boundaries and making sure that no one said anything too enticing to make him want to jump down their throats.

It's actually a peaceful day, one that will go down in a catalogue where his brain reserves these kinds of things. This thanksgiving is one of the first that he's celebrated in years; he doesn't get too many invites to family dinners. Stefan, for all he's trying, is being at least normal for Elena's sake. He doesn't bring up anything too touchy or that could lead into an argument and for that, Damon is thankful.

A few hours after dinner, Stefan announces that he has to leave, much to Elena's dismay. But she hugs him and thanks him, and sends him off with a kiss on the cheek and a promise that he will always have friends here. Before he walks out the door, Stefan motions for Damon to follow him out the porch.

"You didn't think it would be a good idea to mention that she's pregnant?" asked Stefan as he whisper yelled, not wanting Elena to hear them.

"I knew that if you got presented with that kind of information you wouldn't come, and for some reason, Elena needed you to come here. She hasn't looked that happy in months. She needed this…and I… I just wanted to give her something she deserved for a change."

Stefan nods his head, looking past Damon and into the night, hoping he'll find the answers to all his questions written in stars in the sky. "Is it mine?" Damon shook his head no, "We both know vampires can't procreate." Stefan actually had the nerve to look hurt. "She slept with someone else?"

Damon cut his eyes at his brother, "It was an accident, but yes she did. But I don't think there's any more room your feelings in this situation. You've completely deserted her." Stefan sighed, beginning to make his way down the porch; Damon made no move to follow him, just followed him with his eyes.

"We both know it's a little more complicated than that Damon." Damon gave a small sinister laugh. "That it is brother." He watched him retreat down the sidewalk and turned to go inside the house, when he heard the small whisper from Stefan at the end of the driveway. "Take care of her Damon."

He turned around to answer him, but there was no one there. Stefan was gone. As he opened the door he gave the night his reply, "I will brother."

…

He walks back in the house to find Elena perched on the couch, holding her stomach. "Where's Ric?" she looks over to him and smiles, "He's in the kitchen doing the dishes. I was getting a little tired." Damon falls down on the couch beside her and she lets her head fall onto his shoulder. "Now I get to start planning for Christmas."

"Christmas? Christ Elena, Thanksgiving day isn't over yet." She giggles and snuggles into his side. "I know, it's just, this Christmas will need to be special. The baby will more than likely have been born by then and…I just want her first Christmas to be special." She continued to smile at her stomach and Damon smiled with her looking at her in wonder. "Times flown with this hasn't it? It feels like just yesterday we found out."

"Yea, it does, but I'm kind of excited and ready for her to come out. I want to know what she looks like and how her personality will be, what her voice will sound like. There are so many things that I have to learn about her, and I just can't wait to get started." He smiles, glad to finally hear something positive about the baby come from her lips.

"What did Stefan want to talk to you about?" she inquires, but he just tries to brush her off. "Nothing important."

"Is he angry with me?" she looks up to his face, hoping for once he'll give her a truthful answer. "I don't think so. He understands." She nods, but suddenly gets a faraway look in her eye that tells him she's thinking. "Thank you, for inviting him. I needed that, I needed…"

"Closure." He finishes for her and she smiles and whispers, "Closure.", repeating him. They sit in the silence for a moment and Damon racks through his brain, trying to change the subject.

"So, have you thought about a name yet?" she looks at him a moment completely bewildered. "I forgot about a name. What kind of mother forgets to name her child? I just…I haven't even thought about it." She starts to tear up, upset as usual; it doesn't take much these days. He pulls her to him, shushing her; she's flushed up against him, crying about more than just forgetting a name. Suddenly he feels a bump, but doesn't think much of it, and continues to consol her, petting her hair trying to get her to calm down over something so menial.

He feels the bump again and looks at Elena. "What is that?" she sniffs and looks up at him. "What?" she looks down at her stomach and smiles. "She's just kicking," her eyes light up, "Did you feel it?" he nods in wonderment and moves his hand forward, "May I?" she nods at him, eager for him to feel a part of the magic she gets to feel on a daily basis.

Damon rubs circles on her belly, and she places her own hand over his, watching his face. He feels the kick again, a grins in utter amazement despite himself. He's never felt something so real; a miracle is the only word he can think to describe it.

Alaric walks into the living room, finding the couple snuggled into each other on the couch with serene looks on their faces and decides to leave them alone, sending Jeremy back upstairs to give them some privacy. Everyone else has left, and it's just the two of them.

"I can hear her heartbeat you know." Elena looks at him in wonder, but he keeps his eyes trained on her stomach. "That must be amazing." She replies in a gentle whisper. Something about this moment made her want to stay quiet. His brow crinkles as he lays his head on her stomach and still caressing it. Elena's surprise doesn't last long, and soon she brings her fingers to his hair to run them through his raven colored locks.

"Can you hear it now?" he nods his head, "I can hear her move like this, she's moving right." Elena smiles and says 'yes'. And he smiles to himself before sitting up, and taking her face in his hands. "You'll think of a name, and we'll make sure that Christmas will be perfect for her. Okay?"

"Okay." He pushes a stray piece of her hair behind her ear and just looks at her for a moment. He hesitates for a moment, and doesn't know what is compelling him to do this, but somehow, it just feels right, and he moves forward placing a light kiss on her lips. She's unresponsive at first, and Damon worries, fearing he may have upset her, before she places her hands around his neck, pulling him towards her.

The kiss is languid, nothing to intense. Simply fulfilling something they both desperately wanted and were through denying. It had been a long time coming. Damon pulls away from her, and she smiles shyly at him. He just lies down on the couch and motions for Elena to join him, and she does. His hands move to her belly, hoping she'll kick again, and they lie in the peacefulness of things that were finally no longer left unsaid.

….

Elena wakes up in the middle of the night, groaning and Damon opens his eyes to find them still on the couch with Elena rubbing her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know Damon, something just doesn't feel right. Ahhh…" she yelled, grabbing his hand and squeezing, needing something to get through the pain. "Oh god, I can't be having her now! She's early, I'm supposed to have another three weeks. The nursery isn't ready or, or…ahh…" she breathed in and out, trying to make herself calm down.

"Elena, look at me." She looked up at Damon who was still holding her hand, "You're going to be okay. Let's just go to the hospital, okay?" she nodded, pulling herself off the couch. "Will you grab my bag? It's upstairs in my room." He nods and rushes up the stairs, stopping to wake up Ric and Jeremy.

"Ric…Ric…come on man, get up!" Alaric stayed unmoving, throwing his arm out, mumbling for Damon to go away and that he'd deal with it in the morning. "Ric, Elena's going into labor!" yelled Damon, pulling the covers off of him, soon Ric shot up. "What?"

"She's having contractions, please put on some clothes man, I didn't need to see all that." He said shielding his eyes as Alaric rolled his. He had on underwear, he was just being dramatic. "Then don't come in here in the middle of the night, pulling off my covers."

"Do you want to miss the birth of your grandchild?"

"Quite calling it that!" Damon smirked; knowing Ric halfway liked it when he called the baby that. They all knew he'd become a fatherly figure to them all. "Just hurry up, Elena's waiting downstairs, I'm going to go ahead and take her, wake up Jeremy."

Damon walked across the hall and picked up Elena's bag, when he noticed he'd had a smile on his face during all this, he was…excited. He made sure to bring back his face of indifference when he came back to Elena. "Ready to go." She raised her eyebrows and sighed, "Ready as I'll ever be."

They load into Damon's Camero and head to the hospital. Damon calls Meredith and she announces that she's on her way. He looks over to Elena, who's rubbing her belly soothingly, breathing in and out, he instantly begins to worry about her. "Are you okay?" she nods, "Yeah, I'm fine, you know, just having contractions I suppose, you know they're not as bad as I thought they were going to be."

"Yeah?" he asks, just trying to keep conversation flowing and her mind off of the daunting task before her. "Yeah." She smiles, mostly to herself as she looks absentmindedly out the window.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" she shakes her head, "No, I'm just sort of hoping that one comes to me. Once I have her in my arms…I just feel like I'll know."

He nods his head and they sit in peaceful silence for the rest of the car ride. They reach the hospital and just as they get out another one of Elena's contractions hit her, and she's holding on to him again. Dr. Fell immediately finds them and get's Elena into a room for a checkup. They send Damon to the waiting room, where he has to sit by an overly worried father, who is sitting in a chair, looking forward, his feet tapping on the floor. He wants to make fun of the guy, but deep down knows he can't this is nerve racking for him too.

Soon Alaric and Jeremy join him, looking half excited, half worried. They're just about to call Caroline and Bonnie, and everyone else, when Meredith comes walking into the room, shrugging her shoulders. "False alarm."

"What do you mean false alarm?"

"Braxton Hicks contractions. Mild discomfort, caused by contractions in the uterine wall. They can be hard to distinguish from actual labor; you did the right thing by bringing her here. We're just going to keep her overnight as a precaution. You can go back to see her whenever you'd like."

They suddenly felt deflated after the excitement over thinking the baby was coming. Although the men would never admit it out loud, they were excited. They called Caroline and told her the news, the last thing they needed was everyone hearing that Elena was in the hospital and they weren't told about it. Caroline promised to tell everyone and to keep her updated.

…..

They made their way into Elena's room where she was perched in a bed looking annoyed, talking to the baby. "You know that wasn't very nice faking me out like that. I know I might have put you through a little stress today but that was nothing compared to the stress you just put me through." They remained back, making sure she was done before they came into her room.

"Hey guys." Greeted Elena as her family came walking into the room. "Hey kiddo, how are you holding up?" asked Alaric, gently sitting down on the bed. "Okay, you know, just a little disappointed." She shrugged. "You and Jer should go home Ric, there's no since in you guys sitting here all night. There's not enough room, and nothing exciting is happening tonight."

"We were about to head out; we just wanted to make sure you were okay first."

"I'm fine. Go get some rest." She smiled and hugged Alaric and then Jeremy, who she whispered in his ear. He laughed and then they left, waving as they walked out the door.

"You should get some rest too. I know you couldn't have gotten much rest on that couch." Damon shrugged and just waved her off. "It's no big deal, vampires don't really need sleep."

She smiles and pats the bed next to her, scooting over making space for him. He obliges her, lying down next to her on the small hospital bed, facing her.

"You know it's a shame Damon I just don't feel close to you anymore," He looks taken aback for a minute before she giggles and motions to her stomach. ", I just feel like something has come between us." He laughs, glad that she can still joke, despite everything.

"So you're not too upset that she didn't come yet?" she shakes her head and huffs a small reply. "No, I suppose not."

"You should get some rest. You've had a very taxing day." Elena gave a small laugh with closed eyes, "A very memorable thanksgiving." He smiles back at her, although she isn't looking at him. "You stole the words right from my lips."

Soon she's fast asleep, and Damon's stuck unable to sleep, listening to her heartbeat in time with the babies. It's a relaxing sound that would be able to lull him asleep if he wasn't so restless.

He tentatively reaches out his hand to caress her stomach, although he's done it many times, it's still strange to hold Elena in this way, like he's embarking on marked territory. Stefan may be gone, but he had defiantly left his impression.

"You gave us a start today." He whispered, talking exclusively to the baby. He doesn't know why, but sometimes it just felt right to talk to her. It was rarely when Elena was awake; it just wasn't something he was willing to do in front of conscious people. "I mean a real start. You can't keep tricking us like this or we might not believe you when it really is time for you to come. Trust me; you don't want to be known as the little baby that cried wolf."

He stares at her belly for awhile longer, trying to figure out why he feels so attached to the baby. It's not like it was even remotely close to being his. And even with Elena's professions of love, they still weren't technically together, were they? They hadn't really been given a chance to talk about it. The simple fact was that he loved her…and the baby, which was why he was so attached.

He turned his attention back to rubbing circles on Elena's swollen abdomen. "You've got to hurry up and come out. We just can't wait to meet you."

"She can't wait to meet you either." Whispered Elena, slightly opening her eyes to meet Damon's, smiling languidly at him.

"I thought you were asleep." She laughs. "You usually do when you talk to her." she smirks letting him know he's been caught. He smirks right back. "When did you get sneaky?"

"I've always been sneaky, that's why I'm so good; no one suspects it from me." He smiles and kisses her quickly on the lips, "Good night Elena."

"Good night Damon."

**Okay! This chapters a little longer than the others! Wooohooo! Yay! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! Also, let me know if you have any ideas for the baby name! I am completely drawing a blank! I can't think of one that makes sense you know? I want it to be good! So P.M. me if you have an idea! I want it to be surprise and I don't want everyone to see it! So anyway, please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't even know how long it has been since I updated this and I know you do not want to hear excuses, but I have actually had this written for awhile, but then our internet was down for awhile, one of my Christmas presents was actually that my internet was fixed! But then, holy freaking cow… it snowed. SNOWED! It never snows in Arkansas, at least where I live anyway. Oh well…I guess it's okay and pretty, I'm just not much for the outdoors….**

**Anyway, then we had no electricity for the night of Christmas and almost the whole day after, and then when the electricity came on yesterday we had to get the internet hooked up and…..oh goodness it has been a long haul! But now I am back, and excited! I think you're going to like this chapter! If I still have any followers left out there whatsoever… Love you guys! And Happy Reading! **

A week after Elena arrived home from the hospital; she was in full on holiday mode. At least she'd given them a week to recover from Thanksgiving. She immediately had Ric go into the attic and get the tree and lights and put them all to work. Damon and Jeremy were given outside light duties, while Alaric stayed indoors with her and helped put up the tree and the garland on the staircase and fireplace.

When Damon complained that Ric should have to stand out in the cold with them, Elena only sternly told him that Alaric had hurt his back moving all the stuff from the attic, while Alaric stood behind her making faces at Damon.

Back hurt Damon's ass. Besides, it had just finished snowing the day before, making it even colder outside than usual, and while he wasn't really effected by the cold, he could still sort of feel its sting and didn't like to be wet.

Still, Elena believed Alaric, and kept him plenty busy inside the house, moving around the furniture to accommodate room for the Christmas tree, while she, maternal as always, made sugar cookies and hot chocolate in the kitchen.

When Damon and Jeremy finish outside they come in to the small Christmas tree set up in the living room adorning only lights and the smell of sugar baking in the oven. Elena hears the front door close and waddles into the living room, smiling at the trio standing next to the stairs. Damon smiles back when he sees her with an apron on and flour on her face, looking every bit the loving mother she was going to be.

"Are the lights finished?" she inquired, while fussing over a snow covered Jeremy, brushing off the white ice from his jacket trying to remove his jacket for him, while he embarrassingly tried to push her off. Damon nodded at her, laughing at the younger Gilbert, "Yes dear, we finished." Alaric and Jeremy became silent at the pet name he'd just given her, adding to the suspicion they'd had about the two's budding relationship.

Elena didn't notice, or pretended not to and removed their coats, putting them in the closet next to the stairs. Her and Damon's relationship had yet to become more than the meaningful caresses and small pecks on the cheek, and it had defiantly not been announced to their small group of friends. Even if they did they would know how to explain their weird connection to each other.

Since she'd returned from the hospital, Damon had stayed over every night, sneaking into her room after Ric had gone to sleep, although they were pretty sure he already knew. He would hold Elena, and comfort her bad dreams and massage her occasional leg cramp during the night, but aside from this their contact was minimal. Neither had given it much thought, they just simply were, no questions asked.

"Good. You guys must be freezing; come in the kitchen, there's some hot chocolate waiting on you." They followed waddling Elena each them sort of snickering, it had become a silent joke to them all to watch her try to move around now that her stomach protruded so proudly from her middle. They simply couldn't help it; she looked like a giant penguin the way she waddled here and there throughout the house.

They all took their hot chocolate as she offered it to them, Ric placing a chaste kiss on her cheek, trying to distract her as he grabbed a sugar cookie from behind her, hoping she wouldn't notice before retreating to living room. She noticed but didn't comment on it smirking at him. Damon stuck around in the kitchen as Elena began to fret over making icing for the cookies. "Need any help with that?" she looked for a moment while stirring milk into the powdered sugar in the bowl.

"No, I think I've got it covered."

"Didn't the doctor just say yesterday not to over exert yourself?" she just rolled her eyes and simply continued stirring. "This is hardly overexertion Damon." She replied annoyed. Why couldn't he just let her be? She could take care of herself. He shrugged his shoulders, seeing the crease in her brow signaling her short temper to him. She'd always had a fire, a fire that was now amplified due to her heightened hormones. Damon sat down at the island opposite her and just watched her work, slowly sipping his hot chocolate, pondering how good it was and wondering how she'd made it.

Elena diligently works on the icing, preparing it to decorate the cookies with. She looks up at him through her lashes while still mixing red food coloring into one of the batches of icing, "I decided on a name for the baby today."

"Oh?" she nodded, continuing to stir, he got impatient. "So? What is it?"

"Natalia Maria." He was taken aback for a moment. It was beautiful, but… "Maria was my mother's name." she looked up, smirking. "I know. Stefan told me once in passing..Is that weird, do you not like it, because if you don't I can pick out another second name-"

"It's perfect." He interrupted her, making a small smile break out on her face. She glanced up at him sheepishly, "Good, I'm glad you like it." He smiled taking another sip of his hot chocolate. "It's very…Italian." He commented as she finished the last of the icing and placed the bowl in the sink. "I know." She repeated her words from before, looking at him shyly. "You're very…Italian." He was taken aback at what she was admitting. She was naming the baby after him.

He was in front of her in a flash of vampire speed, cupping her face in his hands. "Thank you." He replied softly, kissing her gently on the mouth before pulling back, being the southern gentleman Elena knew he was. But she pulled him back quickly, wanting to move away from the light kisses and soft caresses they'd become so accustomed to. Why were they still walking around on eggshells about that part of their relationship, when they'd both admitted in one way or another they had feelings for one another? Loving feelings at that.

Elena kissed him passionately, pulling him as close as her to her as possible with her large protruding stomach in the way. He responded willingly, finally able to kiss her freely without the burden of Stefan or anything else lying in their wake, except for the baby…

He pushed that thought away; she was naming her baby for him. Maybe for the life he'd never been able to live but expected to, or maybe just because she loved him that much, and wanted her baby to carry a part of him around if she couldn't carry his genes, she would carry his heritage. He lifted her onto the counter, making her gasp as the some of the icing went crashing to the floor but neither cared as their mouths danced to a tuneless song they always knew they would if ever given the opportunity.

Only when they heard a clearing throat did they pull away, turning around to see a disgruntled and uncomfortable looking Ric, with an empty coffee cup and a disapproving look upon his face. Elena acted as if nothing were wrong, refilling his cup and telling Ric to call Jeremy in the kitchen for them all to decorate cookies, as Damon cleaned the spilled icing from the floor, trying to ignore the glare that Alaric was shooting him that only promised an awkward conversation in store for him later.

….

And Damon was right, soon after the tree was decorated and Elena retreated up the stairs, whispering for Damon to join her once Ric was asleep, Alaric pored two tumblers of bourbon and sat one on the bar next to him, waiting for Damon while Ric nursed his. Damon rounded the corner by the stairs, meeting Ric's back as he sat at the bar, seemingly looking out the window above the sink. The glass of bourbon waiting for him did not go unnoticed.

He walks up to the bar, trying to figure out why he's so nervous. He can't recall the last time he felt this way, and suddenly remembers that the last time he did he was human and was having a long discussion with Collette Pewit's father, a girl he'd courted right before attending the war. Her father told him that he was to stop "this foolish marriage talk" to his daughter, for he wouldn't have a quick marriage that would result in his death in the war, leaving Collette widowed and brokenhearted at the measly age of seventeen. Probably good call ole Pewit.

This, however, was completely different. This was **Ric** he was talking about. His drinking buddy, his confidant…Elena's father figure. Elena's very protective father figure. "Damon quit standing back there and just come sit down."

Damon smirked, suddenly feeling foolish for even beginning to think that Alaric would confront him about Elena, he didn't have the guts. "So you and Elena," Ric began as Damon sat down. _Okay, he does have the guts. _Damon thought as he shot down the bourbon and pored himself another glass. "I'm going to be honest with you Damon," Ric began, "I don't like it. I mean have you even thought this all the way through?"

"What's there to think through Ric? I love her, she loves me. I can keep her and the baby safe, she cannot defend herself if little Klausy decides to make a comeback, however, I can." He says, the ever present smirk on his face while shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, but what about Elena, how is she going to feel as she gets older? She's not going to stay eighteen forever Damon. She'll age and age and you will stay at the ripe ole' age of twenty –four. Don't you think that's going to affect her? Besides, I don't think that you are thinking about what will happen to you when she dies. You can't protect her from death Damon, not a natural one. Mother Nature can be a bitch, and there's really no fight you can give with her."

Damon continues to drink his bourbon, with a scowl on his face. As if he hadn't thought about all of this. "I know that Elena will die eventually. And I know that I won't be able to protect her from it…but some time with Elena is better than no time at all. The problem with this doppelganger curse is that…now Elena has created a new bloodline. So eventually, there **will **be another doppelganger, sure to go through all the hell that Elena has. She was lucky that we came to town and found her. If we hadn't she would have died long ago. So, I am going to make it my personal mission to watch over her family. I can't have Elena's bloodline being screwed with, I just can't, especially by Klaus, and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere soon, seeing as we can't kill him…yet." Damon smirked, holding onto a silent hope that a miracle would arise from an unknown grimoire.

"And what are you going to do if she decides to turn?" Ric asks, quietly. Damon stares back at him blankly, not sure how to reply. "She won't ask me to do that." He says slowly. Surely. Alaric merely snorts a laugh in reply. "I wouldn't be so sure. My wife did."

"That was different."

"Maybe."

"Elena doesn't want this life. Besides she has the baby." Ric takes another large gulp from his bourbon. "Okay."

"Okay?" Damon repeats back as a question. "Okay, I trust you with her." Ric replies, before getting up and retreating to bed, "Just be careful Damon, don't you dare hurt her."

Damon just resigns to sitting in the kitchen, bourbon in hand thinking about Collette, with a fond smile on his face before retreating up the stairs. That hadn't been nearly as bad as talking to ole Pewit.

…..

Damon finds Elena half asleep with the covers on, she looks up when she hears him enter the room. "Damon?" he shushes her before pulling off his boots and lying down next to her on the bed, his arms behind his head. He turns his head to look at her where she's gazing up at him, grinning softly, sleepily.

"What's up sleeping beauty?" he asks, wondering what's on her mind behind the peculiar face she was giving him. She shakes her head and snuggles in closer to him, or attempts to, before giving up and turning away, her back facing him. "Hold me Damon?" he nods even though she can't see him, and shifts closer to her on the bed, lying a hand on her stomach and kissing the top of her hair lightly.

"Thank you for everything you did today Damon. Jeremy hasn't had a normal Christmas in a while. He always used to hang lights with my Dad. But for obvious reasons he hasn't been able to do that in a few years, so…thank you." He hums a reply, playing with a strand of her hair. "No problem, little Gilbert was almost pleasant today. Almost." He added in the end. He'd been hell trying to explain things to. Damn hot headed teenager.

They remained silent for a moment, it was peaceful silence, the kind most couples enjoyed before they succumbed to sleep, and now Damon saw that they really weren't all that different from every other normal couple out there, it'd just taken a few road bumps along the way to arrive here.

"So, Natalia Maria huh?" Elena smiled and turned around on her back, moving her head to look at him. "Natalia Marie." She repeated in conformation. "Why?" he asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"I don't know. I just decided that I liked that name. Natalia, and as for Maria…I just-you have been so great Damon. Without you here these last nine months would have been hell. Believe it or not, you're my rock Damon, and you deserve to own a part of this baby's name. So, I decided to name her after your mother."

"Thank you." He repeated again, although he'd already thanked her plenty in the kitchen earlier. She giggled at his speechlessness, and gave him a small kiss on the lips. "You know," she began silkily; "I was a little upset when Ric interrupted us earlier. I think we had a good thing going." He smirked at her, running the back of his fingers over her arm making her shiver.

"Did we now?" She nodded, biting her lip and smiling at the same time. She felt almost giddy. He leans in and kisses her on the lips, she brings up her hands to cup his face, slowly allowing her lips to meld with his, reviling in the tender kisses Damon worshiped her body with. He moved his hands everywhere, caressing her everywhere, trying not to put too much weight on Elena's stomach, as he passionately kissed her, the only sound in the room being her occasional low moan and their breathing.

He pulls away for a moment, looking down at the beautiful creature that he now was allowed to call his own. She was breathless, her chest rising and falling quickly with her panting breaths, her hair a mess, in tangles from Damon running his fingers through her hair. She looks up at him lovingly, her warm chocolate eyes soft, and reaches up for the hem of Damon's shirt pulling it off and tossing it to the floor, without words telling him what she wants.

He leans down, an arm on each side of her head, "Are you sure?" she nods, "Make love to me Damon." She doesn't ask, it is a command. He gives her a simple chaste kiss on the lips before moving her to the center of the bed, moving the hair out her face when she gets settled. "It won't hurt the baby?" he asks, wanting to make complete sure this is what she wanted. She shakes her head no, "She'll be fine." He nods and kisses her again, pulling her legs around his waist and loosing himself in her for the rest of the night.

**So…What did you think? Did you like the name I picked out? It took me a long time to decide, thank you to everyone who commented or PM me about a name! I tried to find something that was pretty, but still sounded like a modern type name. Also I tried to find what Damon's mothers name was, I don't think they have ever mentioned it on the show, (correct me if I'm wrong) But I tried to Google it and Google told me that in the books it was mentioned that her name was Maria, anyway, I hope this was sufficient and not to worry, little Natalia is on her way!**


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